Ryan Pedon

Illinois State men's basketball coach Ryan Pedon says his team embraces being a target this season. The Redbirds are picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference — something the program last achieved in 1998.

As the Illinois State men's basketball team prepares for one of its most anticipated seasons in years, head coach Ryan Pedon says he's frustrated that schools like ISU have a tough time getting schools from major conferences to play them.

For the first time in nearly a quarter century, Illinois State University's men's basketball team is the preseason favorite to win the Missouri Valley Conference.

Ryan Pedon led the Redbirds to their winningest season in eight years, and the team won the College Basketball Invitational title last season.

The investigation by the Illinois State University Ethics Office was launched following a heated Dec. 9 game at Horton in which Norfolk State coach Robert Jones alleged spectators called one of his players the N-word. [This is according to a since-deleted post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter].

New Illinois State men's basketball coach Ryan Pedon says he's not shying away from the school's quarter-century drought since the program's last NCAA Tournament berth It's also been 25 seasons since ISU won the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.